New Beginnings
by Shield Stone
Summary: This story follows the brothers as they find out what family really means. This is my very first FanFic! Please read and tell me what you think. I HAVE EDITED MY STORY! PLEASE READ ANT TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing.

**A/N - **I have edited this chapter.

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Edward and Alphonse were on their way back to Central after completing their latest mission. Alphonse looked over at his sleeping brother with no small amount of worry. Their mission had gone wrong the moment that they had arrived at the small town. They had been sent to investigate a man named Orochi. The mission file did not say exactly _why_ Orochi needed to be investigated; it only said that Edward was supposed to find out all that he could about the man, then report back to Central. If only things could have been that easy.

Somehow Orochi knew that they were coming, and set the town against the brothers. The little town was somewhat isolated, being surrounded by forest on one side, and mountains on the other. As a result, it gets very little business outside of its own borders, rendering it a poor town falling behind on its taxes. Orochi had convinced the town's people that the military was sending a State Alchemist along with some reinforcement to force the taxes out of them. Naturally, they believed this lie. After all, it wasn't like it would be the first time that the military had done something similar.

The town's officials thought that their worst fears were being confirmed when they spied the chain on Edward's pocket watch, and even more so when they took in the sight of Alphonse standing next to him. They had immediately gone on the offensive.

Even though they had been caught off guard with the amount of hostility coming their way, the brothers were careful to defend themselves without hurting anybody. It had taken a good four hours to convince the townspeople _why_ they were there. Unfortunately by then, extensive damage had already been dealt to the town's buildings and roads. Also, several people had been seriously wounded and had to be hospitalized. Edward was also one of those wounded, having earned himself a nasty gash on his chest. He had stubbornly refused to go to the hospital, forcing Alphonse to bandage it up as best he could. It had then taken another two days to repair the damage, even with the aid of their alchemy. To top it all off, Orochi had managed to disappear sometime during the fight, and his house was irreversibly destroyed.

Alphonse gave what could have passed for a sigh as he watched his brother's breathing hitch for a moment and his face scrunched up in pain.

'That is it.' Alphonse thought. 'After he gives his report to Colonel Mustang tomorrow, I am going to make Brother go to the hospital, weather he likes it or not.' He reached over and placed a soothing hand on Edward's brow. If he could have, Alphonse would have smiled fondly as his brother mumbled and nuzzled his face into the palm of his hand. 'I hope that the Colonel won't be upset. After all, it wasn't Brother's fault that the mission failed this time!'

* * * * * Meanwhile back at Central * * * * *

Colonel Mustang sat behind his desk, and he was actually doing his work. Though the three bullet holes in the wall behind his head and Hawkeye's stern glare may have had something to do with it.

He sighed as he looked up at the clock. 'Damn.' He thought with dismay. 'It isn't even lunch time yet, and I am already developing a migraine.' Mustang let his head thunk down onto the desktop. Only a moment later, there was a polite yet sharp knock at the door.

"There is only one person capable of knocking like that." Mustang grumbled to himself as he sat up and let out an irritated, "Come in Lt. Hawkeye."

Hawkeye walked in and shut the door behind her. She snapped off a salute before saying. "Sir, I have just received a message that Major Elric is on his way back to Central. He should arrive around ten o'clock tonight Sir."

Mustang let out a frustrated sigh. "There is no possible way that Fullmetal would have been able to confirm our suspicions that Orochi had been experimenting with chimeras in just three days without screwing things up. I am just dying to head his report on this one." He ran his fingers through his hair before going back to work.

Hawkeye watched with amusement for a few minutes before breaking the silence. "Sir?"

"Hmm?" Mustang answered without bothering to look up.

"Who will be picking the Major and his brother up from the train station tonight?"

Mustang looked up in confusion. "Pick them up? Lieutenant, it is only a twenty minute walk from the station to the dorms. I am sure that they can manage."

"Forgive me for disagreeing with you Sir, but I don't think that they should have to. Edward is a very well known Alchemist here in Central. His unique way of transmutating without a circle makes him valuable to the military. You know as well as I that if you pink his hands down, Edward would be helpless to any thug wanting some ransom money. Also, remember that Edward is only _thirteen years old_, and as much as he hates to be reminded, do not forget how very _small_ the Major is."

"Alright fine. Have Havoc be at the train station by nine o'clock just in case the boys arrive early." Mustang conceded as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Thank you Sir." Hawkeye saluted again as she started toward the door. At the threshold, she turned back to her superior, glaring harshly. "Oh, and Colonel?"

"Yes?" Mustang asked, wary of her tone.

"You will not be going to lunch until at least half of those reports are done. You will not like the consequences if I find anymore of them hidden under the rug, or stuffed behind the hanging photographs." Then she was gone.

Mustang's head thunked back to the desk with a loud thud. "Ugh, this is going to be a long day." He groaned as he reluctantly retrieved several reports that he thought had been cleverly hidden before going back to work.

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**A/N -** What did you think?


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer** - I still own nothing.

**A/N - **I have made a few changes to this chapter also.

* * *

Jean Havoc was sitting at his desk, pretending to do his paper work when he glanced up as Hawkeye received a message. He discretely watched her get up and went into the Colonel's office. He grinned.

"Perfect." Havoc whispered happily to himself as he folded one of the documents into a small triangle. He then looked around for an unsuspecting target. A small chuckle escaped him as he took careful aim.

Breda had been ignoring the quiet conversations that had sprung up as soon as Hawkeye had left the room. Unlike the others, Breda wanted to get done a bit early today. He put one of his reports into the out box, and was reaching for another, when he felt something small and sharp hit the back of his head. He turned around and spotted the little triangle lying innocently on the floor behind him.

"Who threw this?" Breda demanded as he picked the paper up. He glared as everyone gave him identical confused stares. He huffed and turned around to resume his paperwork.

Apparently, someone had a death wish because no sooner than he reached for a report, Breda felt another tiny triangle hit him. He snarled and whipped around with far more speed a man his size should have been capable of. His eyes took on a dangerous gleam when he caught Havoc's hands still in the flicking position.

Havoc gulped at the murderous look his friend was giving him. 'This may not have been the best idea you have ever had, Jean.' He scolded himself.

Thankfully (at least for Havoc) Hawkeye chose that moment to exit the Colonel's office.

"What is the meaning of this Second Lieutenant?" Hawkeye's sharp voice cut through the tension in the room like butter.

Breda laughed nervously and replied, "Oh, nothing Lt. Hawkeye, I had to work some kinks out of my back is all." He did a few twists of his upper body for emphasis.

Hawkeye's glare lingered on the nervous man before her for a moment longer, then traveled down a bit. "What may I ask are those?"

Breda glanced down and almost panicked at the sight of the little triangles sitting on his desk. "What? Oh! You mean these? Well, they are…um…it's uhh…a game! Yeah! It is a new game that I wanted to show Alphonse when he and his brother got back."

Hawkeye raised an eyebrow before commanding, "Well then, I suggest that you put this 'game' away and get back to work."

Breda stuttered a "Yes Sir." before practically attacking the pile of reports on his desk.

Hawkeye then rounded on a smirking Havoc. "What is so amusing Lt. Havoc?" She asked as her finger went to the safety on her gun.

"N-nothing! Absolutely nothing! I am just doing my paperwork like everyone else." Came the instant, fearful reply.

"Good. I also suggest that you skip your lunch break so that you will be done at a reasonable hour. You are to be at the train station at nine o'clock tonight to escort Major Elric and his brother to the dorms."

"Yes Sir." Havoc replied in a subdued tone, not even daring to question as to _why_ Edward would even need an escort.

* * * * Back With the Boys * * * *

Alphonse watched as the various buildings and lights of Central came into view with a sense of relief. After a few moments, he turned toward his sleeping brother, trying to decide weather or not he should wake him. The decision was abruptly taken out of his hands when the brakes were activated on the train, throwing Edward out of his seat. Alphonse caught his brother as Edward let out a startled squeak.

"Brother!" Alphonse exclaimed as Edward tried to figure out exactly _why_ he was in his brother's arms. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I am." Edward said with as much dignity as he could muster as Alphonse gently sat him back down on the seat that he had been so rudely thrown out of. "You'd think that they would warn a guy before stomping on the damn breaks, but nooo. Probably having a laugh at us right now." Edward continued to grumble irritably as he stretched his sore muscles, only to stop and wince at the sharp pain in his chest.

Alphonse only made a small unhappy noise when he saw the flinch, but otherwise remained silent as he took Edward's suitcase from him.

As the train came into the station, the brothers headed for the exit with poorly hidden relief. Neither one of them was overly fond of long train rides.

"Hey Chief! It's about time you guys got here." A thoroughly bored Havoc called as he stood from the bench and made his way over to them.

"Lt. Havoc? Why are you here?" Edward demanded as the older man stopped in front of them.

"Well, the Colonel thought that it would be a good idea that I come and take you to your dorm tonight." Havoc answered with a gentle smile.

"What? Why would he do that?" Edward demanded, a little indignant.

"To tell the truth, I think that it was Hawkeye's idea. I personally would have to agree with her."

Edward huffed a little before grinding out, "We can take care of ourselves, but thanks for the offer." He turned to stalk away.

Havoc sighed deeply and put a hand on the boy's shoulder to stop him. He then knelt down to speak. (He noted with amusement that even on his knees, he was still taller than the little alchemist).

"Edward, listen to me." He stared into the golden eyes until he was sure that he had the boy's full attention. "There are thugs in Central that can get very dangerous, and if there are enough of them, even Alphonse would be hard pressed to fight them all. Also, what if for some reason, you are by yourself? Your ability to use alchemy without a circle is very common knowledge here. All some sick pervert would need to do to make you helpless, is to find a way to pin your hands apart. What would you do then?" Havoc stared hard at the shocked face before him, and gave the small shoulders a firm shake before demanding. "Promise me that you will never go outside at night without an adult with you."

"Fine, whatever." Though his words were indifferent, Edward's voice held a very slight tremor and none of its usual sarcasm.

Havoc seemed satisfied with his answer and led the way to his car.

Edward fell asleep in the five minutes it took to drive to the dorms, despite the fact that he had slept most of the train ride to Central.

When Havoc turned around to bid the boys goodnight, he had to hold back a laugh. 'Who knew that our bad tempered and foul mouthed Fullmetal can look so cute and innocent when he sleeps?' He thought as he carefully got out of the car and walked around to the back passenger side. He slowly opened the door, reached in, and after settling the boy in his arms, he quietly followed Alphonse into the boys' dorm Alphonse turned down the sheets on Edward's bed as Havoc gently layed him down and took his boots off.

"Well, I guess I will see the two of you at HQ in the morning." Havoc whispered as he was led to the door.

The next morning came far too soon for Edward.

"Brother! Come on and wake up! You need to eat some breakfast before you give your report to the Colonel." Alphonse's voice drifted in from the vicinity of the kitchen.

Edward groaned and stuffed his head under his pillow. He was too tired to deal with the stupid Colonel just yet.

"Brother, get that pillow off your head and get up! You're going to be late."

"How does he do that? The bedroom door isn't even open." Edward grumbled. He heaved a deep sigh as he got up and headed toward the kitchen.

"Good morning, Brother." Alphonse chirped, earning an irritated look.

"You are _way_ too cheerful in the mornings, Al." Edward mumbled as he laid his head in his arms on the table.

"Nu - uh, Brother, no falling asleep." Alphonse chided as he gently made Edward sit up. "Here, eat some pancakes." He set a large stack of pancakes in front of his brother.

"Okay, okay. I'm eating, see?" With that, Edward began to shovel the food into his mouth.

Alphonse chuckled at the other's antics, but didn't comment.

By the time that Edward had eaten and showered, he was almost a half hour late giving his report to Mustang.

* * * * Back at HQ * * * *

"Damn it, Fullmetal, would it really be asking too much of you to show up _on time_ once in a while?" Mustang growled at his poor door.

Just as he was about to have Hawkeye call sown to the dorms to see what was taking Edward so long, when said teen burst through his door.

"Well, well. Look who finally decided to come to work today. Tell me Fullmetal, to what do we owe the pleasure of you gracing us with your presence?" Mustang asked with no small amount of sarcasm.

"Stuff it Mustang." Edward said in an unusually subdued voice. "Just read the damn report."

Mustang stared for a moment before deliberately placing a small stack of paperwork on top of Edward's report. "As you can see, Fullmetal, I am quite busy. Why don't you have a seat for a while?"

Edward could hardly believe what that bastard had just done. However, his chest hurt too badly at the moment for any arguing, so he huffed and stomped over and plopped down on the couch. Which he immediately regretted, as his wound gave a sharp twinge in protest at the harsh treatment.

Almost two and a half hours passed before Mustang got to Edward's report. Edward was about to sigh in relief when he saw this, when he heard a condescending tone float over to him.

"Do you honestly call this chicken scratch a report? I am sorry, but you are going to have to rewrite this before I can read this." Mustang took great satisfaction in seeing the disbelief on the boy's face.

Edward could hardly believe what he just heard. It had taken nearly an hour to make that report legible. He was about to argue about the unfairness, but decided just to get it over and done with so that he could leave.

Mustang watched with some surprise as Edward got up without a word and came over and started to slowly rewrite the report.

By the time the report was finished, Edward had to fight to hide the tears of pain that had unwillingly sprung to his eyes for aggravating his wound for so long. 'Maybe Al's right. I think that I should go see the doctor after all.' He thought to himself as he watched Mustang read his report.

As Mustang finished reading, he set the report aside and reached for another and started to lecture his subordinate without looking up. "Well, congratulations, Fullmetal. You managed to completely _destroy_ an entire town in less than eight hours."

"But Colonel, that wasn't my fault! Orochi had the villagers convinced that I -"

"Do _not_ interrupt me Fullmetal." Mustang growled, still not looking at the boy across from him. "Tell me, do you really enjoy pissing people off to the point that you have to fight your way out of every situation you land in?" Mustang was having too much fun with his teasing to notice how his words were affecting the other.

Edward was already emotionally drained from the failed mission, and in enough physical pain to not hear the teasing tone in Mustang's voice. As a result, he took the man's words to heart, and the tears that he had fought so hard a few moments ago finally came spilling down his cheeks. He looked down at his lap, letting his bangs cover his face. Edward sat there in silence for a full ten minutes while the Colonel criticized the entire report. When it was over, he calmly got up and walked out the door without waiting to be dismissed. He just wanted to find his brother and get the hell out of there.

Only when he was finished with the boy's report, did Mustang deem it necessary to look up at Edward. He was quite shocked that Edward was just sitting there with his head down and hair covering his face. He was even more shocked to see the tear tracts on the teen's cheeks as he silently got up and walked out of the room.

"What? What just happened?" Mustang muttered to himself.

* * * * * With the boys * * * * *

Edward found Alphonse talking with Furey. He made sure that nobody was watching before he hastily whipped the tears off his face.

"Come on Al, we're off for the weekend." He led the way out of the building.

"Are you alright Brother? You look like you have been crying." Alphonse asked.

"Do I? Well, I just got something suck in my eye while Colonel Bastard was reading my report."

Alphonse nodded, even though he didn't believe a word of it. "Okay. Now, time to go see that doctor!" He said cheerfully and steered Edward in the right direction.

The receptionist smiled to herself as she saw a familiar suit of armor leading/dragging an equally familiar small figure in a red cloak into the lobby. "Well, Mr. Elric, what happened this time?"

Edward only blushed and looked away, leaving his brother to explain.

Alphonse heaved and exasperated sigh before telling her about the gash on Edward's chest.

"Alright, you two can go ahead and have a seat. The doctor will be out soon."

As promised, the doctor came out only five minutes later and ushered them to a room. He made Edward strip his upper half, and started poking at the red and inflamed wound.

"Ow! Stop that!" Edward shouted then tried to curl up into a ball.

"I am sorry Mr. Elric. Your wound is not quite deep enough to need stitches. But," He gave Edward a stern glare. "It is, however, starting to get infected. I am going to clean it up and send you home with some antibiotics."

Twenty minutes later, the boys were walking back to the dorms. Alphonse had been given the instructions to have Edward take the antibiotics twice a day for two weeks. When the two weeks are up, Edward is supposed to go back for a check-up. When they reached the dorms, Edward immediately found his notes and started going over them, looking for more clues about the Stone.

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**A/N - **Soooo. How was it?


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer - **I own nothing but the computer I am typing on.

**A/N - **This chapter has gotten a little polished up, but not a whole lot.

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Alphonse quietly left the room he shared with Edward at around six-thirty in the morning to fix a good breakfast for his brother. He was humming cheerfully as he cracked some eggs open and put some bacon on the stove. He then went into his room and got the medication for Edward and set one of the pills on the table next to a glass of orange juice. After the bacon was finished and the eggs were scrambled, Alphonse put them on a plate and set it all on the table.

"Perfect. Brother will love breakfast today." With that, he bounded out of the room.

"Brother! It's time to get up! Come on, let's go!"

"Al?" Edward managed to mumble, still more asleep than awake, when he found himself hoisted up into the air before his brother nestled him in his arms. "Wha 's goin on Al?" He slurred out, becoming more drowsy in Alphonse's metal arms.

Alphonse didn't answer, but mentally smiled as he looked down at his brother's sleepy face.

Edward was gently lowered into a chair at the table. He gave a loud yawn as the smell of bacon and eggs penetrated his foggy brain. The food disappeared at an alarming rate. Alphonse watched in amusement until his brother got to the juice.

"Al, what's this for?" Edward asked as he held up the small white pill.

"Brother, you know full well that you need to take your antibiotic at breakfast and dinner every day for the next two weeks."

"But Al, this thing is huge! There ain't no way that I am going to be able to swallow this horse pill." Came the whiney reply.

Alphonse let out an exasperated sigh and crossed his metal arms. "Brother, you need that pill. If you keep refusing to take it, I could always take you back to the doctor. They might resort to giving your antibiotics to you by injection."

Not surprisingly, the pill disappeared faster than the bacon had. The juice quickly followed.

"There, done. Happy now, you little nark?"

"Very. Thank you, Brother. What are we going to do today? Go to the library?" Alphonse asked curiously.

Edward shook his head. "No. I thought that we would visit Lt. Colonel Hughes. We haven't seen Garcia and Elysia in a long time." Edward smirked at Alphonse's poorly hidden excitement.

The brothers cleaned the breakfast dishes with much more enthusiasm then usual. Within minutes, all the dishes were washed, dried, and put away. It only took Edward a few more minutes to get dressed. He only winced a little as he pulled at his healing wound when he put his shirt and black jacket on. He grabbed his red cloak on the way out the door.

The long walk to the Hughes' house was uneventful. By the time the brothers knocked on the door, it was nearly then o'clock. (**A/N - **I don't know how long it would really take, but for my story, it is about an hour and a half walk.)

Garcia was in the den, watching Maes and Elysia play some sort of game that only the two could understand. She smiled lovingly as Elysia was getting her father to make the oddest noises, when she heard a soft knock on the door. She got up and left the two to their game. When she opened the front door, Garcia was pleasantly surprised to see the Elric brothers standing there.

"Edward, Alphonse." She greeted warmly. "It's wonderful to see you. Come in, Elysia has been asking where her brothers were." Garcia said with a smile.

The brothers obediently walked through the door. What they saw on the other side, had them both stunned speechless. There was Maes, lying on his back with both hands and feet waving in the air, and the most horrible gurgling screech was coming out of his mouth. He looked for all the world like he was in his last death throws.

"Um, Mrs. Hughes, is he alright?" Edward whispered, only half joking.

Apparently, Maes had excellent hearing because as soon as Edward had whispered his question, he immediately stood up with a sheepish smile and a light blush on his cheeks.

"Edward, Alphonse. It's a…ahem…nice of you to drop by." Maes greeted a bit awkwardly.

"Well, Edward, Alphonse. It's a …ahem…nice of you to drop by." Maes greeted a bit awkwardly.

Elysia broke the tension when she spotted the boys. "Little Big Brother! Bigger Brother!" Came the excited squeal before Edward found his arms full of two year old hyper-active girl.

Edward picked the little girl up and gave her a warm hug. "Hey kid. What have you been up to?"

"Me and Daddy were playing princess. He was the prince and then he had to kill the dragon. Then Daddy turned into the dragon and he died. Now I'm safe and Daddy is the prince again." Elysia managed to say all in one breath. When she finished, she gave her daddy a beaming smile.

"Isn't she just adorable when she smiles like that?" Before anyone knew what he was doing, a bright flash caught Elysia grinning in a smirking Edward's arms.

"Hey! Lt. Colonel, that's not fair! If you wand Al and I to stay for any length of time, you had better put that camera away." An irritated Edward warned as he carefully passed the little girl to his brother. Maes pouted a bit, but complied with the boy's demand.

"Well, why don't you show Ed and Alphonse how we redecorated your room yesterday Elysia?" the little girl nodded happily and directed Alphonse to carry her up the stairs. Edward rolled his eyes, but followed anyway.

"Those boys are so sweet to come all the way here just to play with Elysia." Garcia said fondly as her eyes followed the children as they made their way up the stairs.

"Not half as sweet as you are." Maes said with a mischievous grin.

"Stop that." Garcia scolded. Though the effect was ruined when she giggled at Maes' crestfallen face. "Not with the children in the house."

With that, Maes brightened and grabbed his camera. He stealthily snuck up the stairs, cautiously avoiding all of the creaky ones. He slowly tiptoed down the hall until he came to his daughter's room. He peaked around the corner and almost gave himself away with a soft snort of laughter. He slowly brought his camera up and *flash* before ducking out of sight. The next couple of hours passed just like that. Elysia dragging the boys all over the house and outside, and Maes following silently, and snapping his camera whenever he could.

Garcia finished setting the table for lunch, and was about to call everybody to come and eat when she was startled as Maes tore into the kitchen at breakneck speeds.

"Dear! You know that there is no running in the house. You are supposed to be setting an example for our daughter." Before she could say any more, Garcia was cut off as Maes held a finger to his lips.

"Shhh! If they ask, I helped you fix lunch." He whispered.

"Sure, whatever you say." Garcia fought to keep a straight face and a stern tone.

"Thank you. Have I ever told you how beautiful you are? Also how much I love you?" Garcia laughed and pushed him into one of the chairs.

The sound of excited children filled their ears as the trio made it into the kitchen. As they sat down, Maes watched the brothers with a hint of sadness on his face.

"What are you looking at? Do I have dirt on my face or a leaf in my hair?" Edward asked a little unnerved by the look Maes was giving him and his brother.

"Oh, no. Don't worry about it. Just enjoy your lunch." Maes answered with a cheery wave.

After lunch, Elysia convinced the boys to stay for dinner too. As a result, she had two playmates for the whole day. For the entire afternoon, Maes and his trusty camera followed the children everywhere, without being seen of course.

By the time dinner rolled around, Elysia was yawning with exhaustion.

"What have you boys done to my little princess?" Maes asked with a fake scowl on his face.

"Oh, you know. A little tickle torture here, a little solitary confinement there. Nothing she didn't deserve." Came Edward's cheeky reply.

Alphonse and Elysia giggled as they sat down at the table. When dinner was over, Alphonse produced a certain white pill.

"Al," Edward whined. "How did you manage to hide those all day? Do I have to take that now? Can't I take it later?"

Even with an expressionless face made of steel, Alphonse still managed to pull off a pretty impressive glare. "I don't want to hear anymore complaints from you, Brother. We have already had this conversation once. If you argue with me one more time, I really will drag you down to get those shots instead."

Edward gulped at his brother's tone. He knew full well that Alphonse meant every word he said. So, with a flourish, Edward swallowed the pill and opened his mouth to show a hovering Alphonse that the thing was gone.

When Alphonse backed away with a satisfied nod, Edward sat back in his chair grumbling something about overprotective siblings who didn't understand which of them was the older brother.

Maes and Garcia sat, watching the scene with highly amused expressions on their faces. Just then, Elysia let out a huge yawn and started rubbing her eyes.

"Well, looks like it's bedtime for someone." Maes said as he scooped his daughter up and gave her a bear hug. He passed her off to her mother and turned to face the boys just in time to catch Edward trying to smother his own yawn. "Come on boys, let me take you home."

Edward was too tired to argue. He and Alphonse followed Maes out to the car. It was hard work for Edward to stay awake for the entire ride to the dorms, but he managed it. After saying their goodnights, the brothers made their way to the bedroom. Alphonse would not let Edward just plop into bed the way he was. He forced him to change into a decent pair of pajamas. He giggled at the grumpy scowl and the unhappy noises coming out of his brother. Finally, Edward was deemed ready for bed, and was allowed to lie down. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow. Alphonse settled onto his own bed and opened his book.

When morning came, Alphonse decided that he was going to fix Edward some oatmeal and toast. After he was finished, he went into their room and gently shook Edward awake.

"Come on, Brother, time for breakfast."

"Not now Al. Still too tired to get up." Edward groaned. He attempted to burrow further into the blankets.

Alphonse was having none of that. He yanked all the covers off the bed. When this proved useless, he started poking gently at Edward's sides and his flesh foot.

"Alphonse! What do you think you're doing? Stop that now!" Edward choked out between bouts of laughter. "Alright, I'm up Al! Stop, I surrender!"

"Gonna get up now?" Alphonse asked with his hands ready to deal out more punishment if he received the wrong answer.

"Yes! See, I'm out of the bed. I am going to the kitchen." Edward carefully maneuvered around his brother, watching every move those hands made.

After breakfast was over and the dreaded pill swallowed, and he was helping his brother with the dishes, Edward asked, "So what's on the list to do today Al?"

"We are starting to run low on food supplies, and we need to get more oil. Your automail is starting to squeak. I also need to go to the library. I just finished my last book last night."

"Alright, sounds good to me. Let me take a shower, and we will go." Twenty minutes later, the boys were headed out the door.

When they reached the market, Edward turned to his brother. "So, where should we go first?"

"I think that we should go to the maintenance shop. Your squeaking is driving me nuts." This earned him a glare and a sharp punch with an automail fist. "Hey! Don't do that, you'll dent my armor!" He could not keep the smile out of his voice when he saw Edward heading toward the shop anyways.

After they bought enough oil to last a while, the boys went to the library.

"You can go and get whatever books you need. I'm going to look for more books on the Philosopher's Stone."

"Okay! I will find you when I'm done." Alphonse chirped as he went in search of some interesting books. The boys would not emerge again for another four hours.

"Wow, I think we stayed _way _longer than we were supposed to Al." Edward stated as they exited the building and realized how late it was. Edward's stomach chose that moment to let out a loud growl.

"Hungry Brother?" Alphonse laughed.

"Shut up Al." Edward retorted, trying to scowl. "Hey, let's stop here for lunch." Edward pointed to a little noodle café (is there such a thing?).

They went inside and Edward ordered. He started to fidget while he was waiting for his food to arrive.

"Stop that." Alphonse scolded when his brother's fidgeting nearly upset his water. Edward blushed and made an effort to sit still.

"So, Al, what books did you settle on getting?" He asked, honestly curious.

"I got the next few books in that western series that I was reading before our last mission. I also found a few mystery books that looked really good. Did you find any useful books, Brother?"

By this time, the food had arrived, and Edward answered around a mouthful of food. "Yes. I found several that talks about red water, and one that has references about the Philosopher's Stone in it."

When Edward finished eating and they had paid for his food, he and Alphonse were about to walk out the door, they literally ran into Havoc.

"Whoa there, Chief didn't see you all the way down there." Havoc smirked, waiting for the expected rant. He was not disappointed.

"**Who are you calling so small that he could use a hollowed out grain of rice as a house!"**

"Brother, I didn't hear him say all of that." A highly amused Alphonse helped his brother off the floor. He gently pushed him out the door.

Havoc followed them out and called after Edward. "Oh, and Chief? I think that you look very pretty with a pink ribbon in your hair."

Edward stared at the retreating form of Havoc, shaking with suppressed laughter. "What does he mean by that?"

"Beats me. Come on, we still need to get the groceries." Alphonse urged his brother.

"Alright, let's go." Edward sighed as they started back to the market.

The rest of the day went smoothly; however, they never noticed the pair of violet eyes that followed them wherever they went.

* * *

**A/N - **Tell me what you think about this one.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer - **Sadly, I still don't own anything.**

**A/N - **Mostly just spelling errors fixed here.

* * *

Monday found Alphonse fixing breakfast for his brother. Said brother was snoring softly on the couch with an alchemy book lying on his chest and notes scattered everywhere. When the food was ready, Alphonse gently shook Edward.

"Time to get up, Brother. You need to eat and take a shower." When he only received a groan and a swat to his arm, Alphonse forced Edward to stand and pushed him toward the kitchen. "Come on! You can't be late today. Sit. Eat."

Edward stumbled into the chair, and obediently started eating. With his eyes barely open, and still almost unconscious, Edward could have been eating strips of leather and clumps of dust bunnies, and drinking milk, and he would have never known the difference. Showering was much the same. Only the cold morning air of the rapidly dwindling summer seemed to have any effect on him.

Alphonse held the doors leading into HQ open for a now wide awake Edward. "So, Brother, where do you think the Colonel will send us this time?" He asked as they passed a couple of sniggering soldiers.

"I really could care less as long as it is far away from Central and the Bastard." Came the grumpy reply. "Why is everyone in such a frickin good mood anyways?" Edward demanded as they spotted another group of laughing men. Some of whom were watching the brothers as they went down a hallway.

"I think that you could use some coffee, Brother. You are still way too grumpy." Alphonse suggested as he could practically hear Edward growling as a gaggle of women giggled their way around the two. He steered Edward toward the break room. The sight that greeted them when they pushed the door open had both boys staring in shock.

It seemed as if _everyone_ that worked at HQ was there. Most of them were holding what looked like pictures.

Just then, one of the soldiers looked up and spotted the boys. A nervous hush fell onto the room, except for one voice that kept on gushing out stuff like "This one is _so_ cute!" and "Don't you think that they all just look absolutely _adorable_ in this one?" Someone nudged the body that the voice belonged to.

"What? I was just getting to the best ones. You don't -" The voice suddenly broke off as the brothers came into view.

"Lt. Colonel Hughes, what's going on?" Alphonse asked as Edward tried to see what the pictures were about.

"Nothing!" Maes shouted. "Everyone needs to get back to work! I think we have managed to waste enough time looking at my precious little princess." He tried to reclaim all the evidence. Unfortunately, most were quickly stuffed into pockets.

One unlucky soldier was relieved of his burden when he came face to face with an agitated Edward Elric. The soldier knew that the only thing that would be worse than letting Edward see the picture was to deny him seeing it. So, he did the only thing he could think of. He threw the picture in the kid's general direction, and fled the room.

Edward gave the man's retreating back a smug grin as he easily caught the falling paper. Said grin died a horrible death on his lips as he looked down at the thing he caught. Elysia was indeed in the picture. She was _not_, however, the only occupant. Elysia was sitting on the floor with a doll in her hands, but she was looking at the suit of armor sitting next to her. He too had a doll, but that isn't what made Edward stare. No, it was the blush that had been powdered on his metal cheeks and the uneven line of lipstick on his mouth.

He didn't want to, but Edward's eyes were drawn to the third person sitting on the floor, directly in front of the camera. He, Edward Elric, also had blush on his cheeks, but (thank God) no lipstick, with a doll in his hands. His hair was another story. Elysia had managed to talk him into letting her play with it. He had not bothered to see what she had done with it then, but it was in plain view now. It had been separated into three parts, as if she were going to braid it (oh how he wished she had). Each section had been twisted and looped around his head in an intricate pattern. It was all held together with a pretty pink ribbon.

Edward wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole. He about jumped out of his skin when his brother tapped him on the shoulder.

"What is the matter Brother? You went so pale just now. Are you getting sick?" Alphonse asked with concern.

Without a word, Edward passed over the offending thing. He took a moment to steady his breathing, and then looked up to give Maes a piece of his mind. "What the hell! Where did everyone go?" Sure enough, as Edward slowly turned in a circle, his eyes confirmed that he and Alphonse were the only people in the break room.

"Brother?" Alphonse whispered, despite them being alone. He continued when Edward looked at him. "Do you think that _all_ of those pictures were like this one?"

At that, Edward's golden eyes grew big enough to be classified as twin suns. "No, he wouldn't be that cruel. Would he?"

They tore out of the room in a desperate search of the older man. They made it as far as the elevator when a sharp voice stopped them in their tracts.

"Major Elric! What are you doing galloping through the halls like a race horse when you should be in Colonel Mustang's office for a meeting which you are once again late for?" Lt. Hawkeye demanded with a dangerous gleam in her eyes.

Edward was shocked into silence for a moment. He scowled at Hawkeye's stern glare before huffing as he stomped toward her. "Whatever. When I'm done with him, I am going to find Lt. Colonel Hughes. Then I will slowly kill him" As he passed her, Edward could have sworn that he saw a glimmer of amusement flash across Hawkeye's face before dismissing it as his imagination.

Hawkeye watched the boys walk down the hall. She could hear Edward muttering different ways to kill Hughes, and she was more than a little surprised to hear Alphonse's voice chiming in a bit here and there. As soon as the brothers were out of sight, Hawkeye pulled something out of her breast pocket. Her usually stern face softened into a fond smile as she looked at the innocent scene before her.

Alphonse was sitting on the grass beneath a tree. He had a book open in his lap with Elysia sitting on one side of him, and Edward on the other. Both the elder Elric and the little girl were fast asleep; each had a metal arm wrapped protectively around them. A butterfly had managed to sneak up on the trio and had landed on Edward's head.

Hawkeye sighed contentedly and then tucked the picture safely back into her pocket. She arranged her face back to its usual expression and followed after the boys

* * * * Back with the boys * * * *

Edward and Alphonse were once again greeted with silence when they burst into the general office area. Most everyone immediately looked down guiltily and pretended to be profoundly busy.

Havoc saw the boys heading for the Colonel's office and grinned. He knew that he shouldn't. He knew Edward's temper would flare more than it already was. He knew that he was probably going to get an automail fist to the gut if he did it. Screw it; it would be _so_ worth it.

"Hey Chief! Come here for a second." Havoc said as seriously as he possibly could. Yes, he was about to be severely punished.

Edward stopped his muttered death threats long enough to look up at Havoc. He would have kept going if Havoc didn't look so serious. He made his way over to the older man, never noticing the mischievous sparkle in the other's eyes. "What! This had better be good." He growled.

Havoc waited until Edward was directly in front of him before speaking. "You have _got_ to tell me where I can get this lovely outfit." Still wearing a deadly calm expression, Havoc placed a picture on his desk in full view of everyone.

Edward looked in horror at the little square sitting innocently on the desk. He remembered the exact moment it was taken, though he never did see the flash of the camera, nor hear the soft snort of laughter that had come out of Maes.

Elysia had wanted to play dress up, so she had dragged them into her parent's bedroom. This would not have bothered Edward much if not for the fact that Elysia wanted to dress up in her father's clothes. She had told Edward with her two year old logic, that there can only be one mommy and one daddy. She had wanted to be the daddy. Alphonse was obviously too big to try any of the clothes on. Guess who was left? Edward tried to refuse, but after seeing the tears form in Elysia's eyes, and the trembling lower lip, Edward finally relented. So there he was, the famous Fullmetal Alchemist, standing there in a white dress with multicolored flowers and butterflies printed on it, red heeled shoes on his feet, and a green women's hat on his head.

Havoc had been right when he knew he would receive an automail fist, however, he was wrong about _where_ he would receive it. He spent the rest of the day unconscious on his desk, with what the doctors would later confirm was a severe concussion.

Edward stormed over to Colonel Mustang's office door, slammed it open, and after telling Alphonse to wait outside, slammed shut behind him.

Alphonse only sighed before settling down in his usual chair to wait.

Mustang barely looked up at the harsh treatment his subordinate was gibing his door. He continued to pretend to work as he watched Edward through the fringe of his hair. The boy's attitude today was so different than when they last saw each other that he wondered if he had just imagined the tears.

"Fullmetal, here is your new mission. Do try not to blow up any buildings this time, won't you?"

Edward sneered at him as he took the folder, clearly not in the mood for his superior's attitude. Edward's face darkened further as he read what was in the file. "What the hell is this shit?"

"The Fuhrer has decided that he has gotten tired of cleaning up your messes. So, he wanted to give you some time to think about the freedom you usually get by keeping you close to Central for a while." Mustang smirked, knowing what the other alchemist was so upset about.

"This is just ridiculous! Why would Fuhrer Bradley send me on a survey mission? A Survey! Who the hell cares weather or not people have pets! This could take weeks!" Edward was shouting by the end of his rant.

"I beg to differ, Fullmetal. There has been a lot of chimera activity in the last few months. We need to find out where they are coming from, so I suggest you get started right away. Central is a big city." He watched the boy slam his door open yet again and disappear. After he was gone, Mustang got up and inspected the damage. He sighed and filled out the necessary form for a replacement door, then went back to work.

The next few weeks seemed to crawl by for the brothers. They were only able to conduct the survey during the day, and had to be back at HQ before dark to report their findings. To make matters worse, it seemed that every time they turned a corner the boys were confronted with another embarrassing picture. Also, the feeling of being watched would not go away, but whenever they would try to find the source, there was never anything there. After two weeks were up, Edward was cleared by the doctor to stop taking those horrible white pills.

* * *

**A/N - **I could not bring myself to change much in this chapter. I love how it turned out the first time. ^_^

**A/N - **A while ago, I asked you guys two questions. This is what the majority of you wanted.

1. Alphonse will most definitely become human.

2. Hawkeye and Mustang will not become a couple.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer - **Do I really have to put this in every chapter? *sigh* Fine I don't own anything.

**A/N - **I only changed one sentence. Can you spot it?

* * *

Edward collapsed onto the couch in his and Alphonse's dorm. Finally, after a full month of non-stop searching, the brothers were finished with their survey mission.

"Come on, Brother." Alphonse urged said brother to stand. "After lunch, you need to write your final report for Colonel Mustang."

Edward scowled at his superior's name, but got up anyways. "So what did you make, Al?" His nose started twitching at the wonderful smell coming from the stove.

"Nothing special, just some leftover stew that we made last night." Alphonse answered as he sat a bowl in front of a drooling Edward. He laughed when the stew disappeared in less than thirty seconds.

After lunch was over, Edward dragged himself to his desk to write the report while Alphonse cleaned the kitchen.

_Mission Report_

_Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist_

_Superior Officer_

_Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist_

_This must be the lamest mission you have ever sent me on, you know that? Well, I found out that the East Section has more birds as pets than I thought would be possible. One house alone hade thirty species of the things, and over a hundred birds. When I asked why there were so many, the guy got all defensive and said that there was no law saying how many he could have, and the military should keep their noses in their own affairs. Needless to say, I was not going to get any information out of _that_ weirdo, so we left him alone._

_When Al and I got to the North Section, we quickly found out that this is the more snobbish end of the city. Those who did not immediately slam their door in our faces, told us that they either didn't own any animals, or that the military had no rights to be asking about their precious Feefee, or whatever they came up with for their poor dog._

_I hope you appreciate the trouble I had with pulling Al away from the West Section. Almost every house there had a cat. Most of which are either about to have a litter of kittens, or are weaning a litter and are looking for homes for them. I think that if he had tear ducts, Al would have been bawling his eyes out by the time we left that section because wouldn't let him have any of those damned kittens! Wipe that stupid grin off your face, bastard, I just know that you are getting some sort of sick pleasure out of all this! I swear that I have heard some suspicious meowing coming out of Al's armor the past week, but I haven't found the damned thing yet._

_The South Section seems to be the poorer end of the city. Not very many of the houses there gave pets, and those that do, have the oddest assortment that I have ever seen. One of them had a really big dog that, for some reason, would not stop licking me. They also had some sort of lizard that they let run all over the house. Another house had snakes. Can you believe that? Gross! They also raised mice and rabbits to feed the snakes. How creepy is that?_

_All in all, there was absolutely no indication that any of them are manufacturing chimeras. Thanks again for the useless mission._

"There, done." Edward grumbled as he folded and sealed the report. He looked at the clock. "Come on Al, if we leave now, we might get our next mission before the evening trains leave."

"You don't know if our next mission will be out of Central, Brother. He might give us another mission in the city." Alphonse lectured as he waited for Edward to put his cloak on.

"Naw, I'm pretty sure that everyone back at HQ is getting tired of dealing with me after a whole month." Edward replied with a smirk. He followed his exasperated brother out the door.

* * * * With the guys at HQ * * * *

Mustang watched everyone as they worked at their respective desks, and his eyes fell onto one particular desk that was so rarely used. 'I really should make Fullmetal do his own paperwork.' Mustang thought to himself. The doors flung open and as if he had been summoned, Edward strolled into the room with a deep scowl on his face. 'Then again, maybe not.'

"Why Fullmetal, I'm shocked." Mustang gushed with no small amount of sarcasm. "You really can tell time! You are at least a whole five minutes early for our scheduled meeting."

If looks could kill, Mustang would be a crispy critter right where he stood. If not for Alphonse's restraining hand and his muttered "Brother, not now." Edward may have done something stupid.

Edward growled to himself, but otherwise calmly followed the Colonel into his office with Alphonse right behind him. Mustang merely lifted an eyebrow when he saw the younger brother sit on the couch next to the elder one.

"I believe that you have a report to give me?"

Edward sighed dramatically as he got up and handed the report over. He then plopped back on the couch and watched as Mustang read.

Mustang had to read the report twice to make sure he didn't miss anything. "Really, Fullmetal, you have _got_ to improve your handwriting." This earned him another dark look from the boy. "This is supposed to be an official report. There is almost as much complaining as useful information."

"I wasn't complaining about nothing. I just wrote it the way it happened." Edward said in his own defense when he noticed Alphonse trying to smother his giggles. He slouched down further on the couch with a sulky expression on his face.

Mustang smirked at the rare show of childishness. "Here is your next mission, Fullmetal." He tossed a folder at the elder brother.

Edward caught the folder with ease and opened it. Alphonse leaned over his shoulder and read the file. Both of them perked up when they read where they were going.

"Brother look! East City isn't very far from Resembool! Maybe we can stop and see Winry and Granny Pinako before we come back to Central." Alphonse turned to the Colonel and did his best to give him the impression of his "puppy eyes." He brought his hands together and asked in his most hopeful voice. "You wouldn't mind would you Colonel?" (**A/N -** I don't actually know anything about East City, but I needed somewhere close to Resembool.)

Mustang resisted the strong temptation to roll his eyes at yet another childish display. "Of course not Alphonse. We wouldn't want Fullmetal to pass on the chance of getting a checkup on his automail now would we? After all, it would be a shame if his arm or leg were to fall apart due to a lack of maintenance care."

"Thank you Colonel!" Alphonse gushed. "Don't worry; I'll make sure that Brother gets a checkup."

"You _do_ know that I am still in the room, right?" Edward growled without taking his eyes off the report.

"Really? I didn't even see you. You are almost invisible when you sit next to your brother like that." Mustang almost laughed when Edward exploded.

"**Who are you calling small enough to be a germ's pet?"**

Alphonse did laugh as he held Edward back from attacking his superior officer.

"You boys better go back to the dorms and pack so that you will be at the station in time to make the evening train. It will take four days to get to East City. Try to complete this mission with minimal damage this time please? It makes me look bad to always have to take money out of your research fund to repair half a town wherever you go."

Edward merely threw Mustang a death glare before he urged his brother toward the door.

"Bye Colonel." Alphonse waved as they left the room. The door was completely shocked to still be in one piece.

* * * * On the Train * * * *

Alphonse was reading on the train (big surprise there) it was the last day of the incredibly long, and boring, trip to East City. Edward had, like usual, had slept almost the whole way, waking only to eat and to take care of other needs. Alphonse looked down at his brother, who was curled up on the seat next to him and giggled softly. Edward was curled up into a little ball with his knees pulled up to his chest with his arms somehow tucked beneath them. His head was resting on Alphonse's lap. He looked like a little kid sleeping next to his strangely dressed father.

"Brother, we are almost there." Alphonse gently shook his brother awake.

"Huh? What is it?" Edward asked, rubbing sleepily at his eyes.

"We are almost in East City. I think that we have about fifteen minutes before we arrive at the station." Alphonse patiently repeated.

"Oh." Came the intelligent response as the elder brother began cleaning the seats that had books and notes scattered over them during the trip.

When the train finally stopped at the station, the brothers practically ran to the exit in their eagerness to be off the train.

"So, where are we supposed to go first?" Alphonse asked as they walked through the streets.

"Well, there have been rumors that the river has been turning a familiar shade of red every couple of months. We need to find the source." Edward replied as he looked for an appropriate inn to stay at. "Ah, let's go here, Al." After paying for a room and putting their things on the beds, the boys headed right back out the door. They went about a mile outside the city and started walking along the banks of the river that fed through the city.

"What are we looking for?" Alphonse piped up after he and Edward had been following the river for about twenty minutes.

"Anything suspicious, Al. a cave big enough to let someone in, odd formations in the foliage, footprints on the banks of the river. Doesn't matter how small the clue is, it could lead us to some answers." Edward said as he stared intently at some bushes. "If someone was trying to manufacture red water, they certainly would not want any prying eyes to watch."

"Makes sense. They would also need a lot of room to work too." Alphonse started to answer when he heard a yelp behind him. When he turned around, his brother was gone.

"Brother?" He called, confused. When he received no response, Alphonse rushed back where his brother had been and nearly fell down the same sharp slope that had surprised his brother. "Brother! Answer me!"

"Al?" Came a dazed and slightly slurred voice down by the river's edge.

Alphonse was beyond relieved to hear Edward's shaky voice call his name. "Brother, what happened?" He carefully made his way down the slope to where he could see his brother slowly sitting up.

"Slipped on some loose rocks I didn't know were there." Edward answered, grateful that Alphonse was the only one to see his embarrassment. He frowned when he tried to move his automail arm. He was able to move the upper arm just fin, but the elbow was a bit slow to respond, and anything below the wrist didn't move at all.

"Great, now my arm is messed up." He grumbled as Alphonse carefully rolled the sleeve up to see what damage there was.

"Winry is going to be mad at you, Brother. It looks like the elbow joint is only jammed, she can fix that with no problems." the younger brother said. He then inspected the hand. "This wrist may be another story. Looks like you managed to break cleanly through the joint connecting the hand to your arm."

"Perfect. Not even one day on this mission, and I've already screwed it up." Edward moaned in self-pity as he covered his face with his flesh hand. "I am going to have a permanent wrench shaped lump on my head when Winry finds out about this."

"Well, might as well go back to the station. If we find a train tonight, we could be back in Resembool in time for dinner tomorrow." Alphonse stated as he helped Edward stand.

"Are you kidding? Can you imagine how that would look on my report? Havening to abandon a mission because I fell down and broke my arm? No way are we leaving until we've finished." Edward ranted indignantly. He then stubbornly started searching the banks of the river again. Albeit a lot more cautiously than before though.

Alphonse sighed and followed suit, knowing that it would be useless to argue further.

After two more weeks of searching, the brothers had absolutely no luck finding anything.

"Man, what a huge waste of time!" Edward shouted at the wall in the room he and Alphonse were sharing. "We searched the river bank five miles upstream and downstream of the city. We checked every nook and cranny of the streets and buildings. We even checked the damned sewers! Nothing! Not even the people here admit to seeing anything strange about the river in years. There is _nothing_ going on in this stupid city."

"Well then, write your report so that we can go see Winry." Alphonse said, equally frustrated about the false lead. He was tired of watching Edward struggle to do everything one handed. He had tried to help his brother at first, but the blond had insisted that he could handle it by himself.

"Can't you just get the blueprints and fix it yourself?" Pleading golden eyes bored into hollow red ones.

Alphonse had to work hard to keep his tone stern and full of disapproval. "No, I can't. You know that." he almost broke down in a fit of giggles at the sight of Edward's severely crestfallen expression. "Just think of it this way, you needed to get your automail readjusted anyways. You are still growing after all."

Edward only sighed in defeat and sat down at the table to write his report. He made sure to let the Colonel know that he was wrong about when he said that his last mission was the most useless assignment he had ever been given. No, _this_ mission was much more useless because they had not found even a hint that there is, or ever was any red water in the city.

After the boys were packed and ready to go, Edward reluctantly started walking toward the train that would take him to his doom.

* * *

**A/N - **Five chapters edited, one to go.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer - **I am now the proud owner of a gigantic stuffed teddy bear. Unfortunately, I still don't own FMA.

**A/N - **I noticed that nobody did a review for this chapter, so I completely redid the whole thing. Let me know if it is now review worthy.

* * *

It was late in the evening when the train pulled into Resembool's train station. Both Edward and Alphonse were extremely nervous with their impending reunion with Winry and Granny Pinako. Though the boys hid their fears rather well. One with sheer force of will and practice, the other by his immobile metal features.

Alphonse sneaked a sideways glance over at his brother and tried hard not to giggle at the picture he made. Edward looked like a mess. His hair had come halfway out of its braid and was sticking up at odd angles due to his tossing and turning in restless sleep on the train. As a result of poor sleep, there were dark circles under his eyes making him somewhat resemble a raccoon. His automail arm was in a sling to prevent any further damage.

The elder of the two was dragging his feet as if he fully expected to executed when they reached their destination. Alphonse sighed quietly to himself. For once, he shared his brother's reluctance to see Winry. He really did hate it when the two of them fought.

At last after walking for what seemed both a long time, and not long enough an all too familiar door loomed up in front of the boys. Both of the teens were equally hesitant to actually knock on said door.

"Well Brother, we're here." Alphonse stated unnecessarily. When he only received a dejected grunt and a nodding head in response, the younger boy gave the elder one a slight nudge towards the door. "Go on and knock so that we can go inside. It is getting cold out here; I can see your breath."

Golden eyes widened in panic and Edward was quick to refuse. "Oh that's okay, Al. why don't you knock? You know how happy Granny gets whenever she sees you. Just imagine how that wrinkly old face will light up when she catches sight of you after being away for so long."

"I insist, Brother. If Winry is the one to answer the door, don't you think that she will be happy to find out that you have grown at least a half an inch since we saw her last? You know how much she loves to find out that the automail is actually starting to get too _small_ for you." Alphonse replied as he waved his hands in front of himself and backing up a little.

The bickering was cut short when the door decided to take matters into its own hands (er…knobs?) and opened itself, reveling a tiny figure on the other side. The little old woman did not seem overly surprised to see the boys arguing outside her front door.

"So you boys finally decided to visit us have you?" Granny Pinako stated as she lit her pipe. Said boys were speechless at the woman's casual demeanor. "Are you two going to come in, or are you going to stand out here like a couple of hooligans?"

"Oh! Of course Granny. Sorry, we did not mean to be rude." Alphonse apologized, ignoring the snort behind him.

The boys then scrambled into the house, where they were promptly attacked by an overexcited Den. Alphonse soughed at her antics and patted her head. Edward on the other hand, was less than amused to receive a face full of slobbery doggy tongue.

"Ugh! That is so gross Den!" Edward scolded as he wiped his face on his sleeve. However, the rebuke was pointless when he smiled a little and gave the dog a generous belly rub. The boy's face froze when he heard someone coming down the stairs. Edward scrambled to his feet and hid halfway behind his brother.

Winry stopped and blinked when she came to the doorway. "Ed? Al? I thought that you guys were still in Central. What are you doing all the way out here?"

"We were in Central until about two weeks ago. The Colonel sent Al and me over to East City to follow some rumors." Edward answered, still halfway behind Alphonse.

Winry looked at him with rising suspicion. "So, you decided to stop and visit me and Grandma before you went back?"

Alphonse was forced to answer when it became clear that Edward wasn't going to. "Well, we had already decided to stop by after the mission was over because Brother needs his automail adjusted." He stopped for a moment to allow Edward to brace himself for the blond girl's temper. "However, when we were searching for clues, Brother slipped and fell down a riverbank."

Edward cringed back a bit when Alphonse pushed him out of his hiding spot and in front of the mechanic.

It took all of two seconds for Winry to process which of Edward's arms was in a sling before she lost control of her temper. "Edward Elric! What have you done to my automail? Do you even know how hard I worked to make that arm?" She shouted. She then proceeded to drag him by the ear into the kitchen for better lighting.

"Ow! Winry let go, that hurts! Honestly it wasn't my fault this time, I swear!" Was the pitiful whining response.

Alphonse and Pinako merely glanced at each other for a moment before following the two blonds into the other room.

Winry heartlessly ignored Edward's pleas for mercy and furiously shoved him into one of the chairs. "Take your that sling and your shirt off so that I can see the extent of the damage this time." She all but snarled. "Be careful not to damage it any more than it already is."

Edward quickly complied without a word because he could see her reaching for one of the many maintenance kits that she had stashed all over the house. He knew how fast one of those wrenches could be pulled from the kit and planted in his skull.

When Edward's torso was bared, Winry carefully inspected the arm, noting the easily fixed elbow jam. Her gaze froze at the wrist, and her left eyebrow developed a twitch. She turned her angry blue eyes to meet his wary gold ones. "Tell me Ed, just _how_ did you manage to break this joint in _half_?"

Edward gulped "It's like Al said. I fell down a riverbank and I landed rather hard."

"Come on Ed. Do you really expect me to believe that? You guys never tell me when you get into trouble or when you get hurt. Tell me what really happened. Did you get into another fight with that man with the horrible scar on his face again?" Winry demanded as she undid the clasps on Edward's port and removed the damaged arm.

"What? No! Winry I promise that I just fell. We haven't seen Scar since that day." Edward replied, the heat leaving his voice with each word. Every time he thought of Scar, all Edward could see in his mind was Nina and what he and Tucker had done to her.

Winry stared hard at the other's eyes for a moment. When she saw the honesty and slightly haunted expression, she sighed and relented. "I'm sorry Ed. You have to admit that the two of you tend to not tell me how you got hurt on the rare occasions that you come to me for help."

Edward rubbed the back of his head with his remaining hand in discomfort. "We don't like to worry you. You have done so much for us already, and you have your automail business to run. I guess that we figured that you have enough to deal with already." He had to swallow a good chunk of his pride to admit that.

Winry rolled her eyes when she saw his expression and turned to the two forgotten figures hovering in the doorway. "Grandma, will you please get the measuring tape and the spare leg from my shop? Might as well do an overhaul on both limbs while they are still here."

Pinako nodded and left without a word. Alphonse shifted nervously and asked in a small voice, "How long do you think it will take to fix Brother's arm?"

Winry looked at the damaged limb with a calculating expression for a minute or two before she answered. "I would have to say about two days at most, and that is including the leg's adjustment as well."

Only a moment later, Pinako walked into the room with the requested items. Edward was then forced to strip down to his boxers so that his flesh limbs could be properly measured. Edward mused that he would have been profoundly embarrassed right now if it were not for the fact that he considered Winry his sister and Pinako his own grandmother.

After the spare leg had been attached, Pinako sent the two boys upstairs to bed. Edward scowled at that and grumbled something under his breath about "Old bitties sending me to bed like a naughty little child." That earned him a smack upside the head from his brother.

The next morning saw Alphonse cheerfully helping Pinako make breakfast. Winry was in her shop, leaning over an automail arm, muttering about certain alchemy freaks that have absolutely no respect for all her hard work. Edward was stumbling around the house, trying to get his body used to the temporary leg so that he would not fall on his face after every other step. After about twenty minutes or so had passed, the two blonds were called to breakfast.

When the meal was nearly over, Pinako looked over to the brothers and asked. "What are you boys planning on doing during your stay?"

Alphonse answered for the both of them. "We thought that we could go and visit Mom today. We haven't really thought about what we would do tomorrow yet."

Pinako nodded as Winry went back upstairs. "Take Den with you. She hasn't had a proper walk in a while." She collected the dishes and set about cleaning the kitchen.

"Right." Alphonse agreed as he went to the door and held it open for his brother and the excited dog. "We should be back before dinner." He informed her solemnly before waving and following Edward down the road.

The walk to the graveyard was a quiet, tense affair. Even the normally hyperactive Den was walking instead of running and jumping around the boys. Her typically wind milling tail was hanging limp behind her as they walked.

* * *

Winry finished unjaming the elbow joint in Edward's arm and checked it over carefully for any damaged wires before moving on to the wrist. She was growling darkly under her breath the whole time.

* * *

As promised, the boys walked in the front door just as Pinako was ladling out bowls of stew for everyone. Dinner was spent in sullen silence with each brooding over different things. After the meal was over, Winry glared at Edward before stomping back up to her shop. Edward only rolled his eyes as he watched Alphonse and Pinako clean up. Den walked over to him and laid her head in his lap with a long, low whine.

Edward smiled down at her and scratched her behind the ears, making her leg thump against the floor in bliss. "Thanks for coming with us today." Den only pressed her head more firmly into his hand in response. Edward would not have been able to stop the grin spreading across his face if he tried.

When the last dish had been dried and put away, Pinako turned to the boys. "Alright you two. It is getting late and I need my sleep, why don't you go ahead on upstairs?" She headed toward the stairs herself.

Alphonse nodded obediently while Edward made rude faces at the woman's back for once again sending him to bed like a child. He stomped up the stairs and flung himself onto his bed.

Alphonse giggled at the other teen's antics. "You know Brother, you should really be more polite to Granny." He walked over to the dresser and pulled out some pajamas for Edward and coaxed said brother into putting them on. He laughed softly when he saw that Edward had fallen asleep almost as soon as he had flopped back on the bed. He dug out one of his books and settled down on his own bed for another long night.

When the sun was just barely making an appearance the next day, Pinako rapped on the boys' door. "Time to get up. I can't have you boys lazing about all day; I have better things to do."

Edward grumbled something that Alphonse was sure was extremely insulting and burrowed further into his blankets. He put his book away, and then came back to Edward's bed. "Brother come on. It is time to get up." He then peeled the blankets off the bed. The effect was immediate, and loud.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing Al? Give those back its freezing in here!" Edward made a desperate lunge for the stolen blankets.

Alphonse laughed and danced away with far more grace that a metal suit of armor should have been able to. "You should go downstairs and eat a nice warm breakfast then shouldn't you?"

Edward scowled darkly at his brother, which had absolutely no effect whatsoever on the other. "You are so lucky Al. If I had my arm back, you would have never won this easily." His harsh tone was undermined by the amused glint in his golden eyes as he stormed past Alphonse.

"If you say so." Alphonse called after his brother's retreating form as he made Edward's bed with his stolen prize. When he was satisfied with his work, he went downstairs to join everyone else for breakfast. He came into the kitchen just as Pinako brought the food to the table.

When everybody was finished eating, Winry looked pointedly at her grandmother, who gave an approving nod. She then cleared her throat and looked at the younger brother a little nervously. "Hey Al, do you think that I could talk you into doing the dishes while I steal Grandma and Edward for a little while?"

Alphonse was slightly crestfallen at being left out, but he knew that Edward did not want to let him see his pain. So he only got up and placed a soothing hand on his brother's shoulder before he replied. "Okay." He watched the other three walk out of the room as he began to gather the breakfast dishes.

Edward looked over his shoulder as he went to the doorway and shot Alphonse what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He turned around and trudged up the stairs after the women. When they reached Winry's workshop, Pinako gently took him by his remaining hand and led him to the examination table. He silently watched as Winry removed the temporary leg, and then she and Pinako lined up his adjusted limbs up with his ports.

Winry paused for a moment and looked at Edward. "Are you ready?"

Edward hid the grimace that tried to take over his features. "As ready as I'm likely to get. Let's just do this."

Winry took a steadying breath and nodded. "Okay. On the count of three. One…"

Edward visibly tensed as he watched the limbs twitch closer to his ports.

"…Two…"

He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw.

"…Three…"

Alphonse nearly dropped the plate that he had been drying when he herd a sharp thump and some muffled cursing emanating through the ceiling. With great effort, Alphonse forced his shaking hands to finish drying the rest of the dishes and sweep the kitchen floor. When he finished, Alphonse could hear voices coming down the stairs. He turned around to see Winry and Pinako discussing an appointment that they had the next day. However, he only had eyes for Edward as he came into the room with a slight limp.

Edward looked up when he felt eyes watching his every move and sighed when he saw his brother's worried posture. "I'm okay Al. it only hurts for a little while when a limb gets reattached. The pain is already fading away." To prove his point, he flexed and rolled his automail arm, and his limp was already nearly gone.

"That's good Brother. I really don't like to see you in pain." Alphonse answered, though his voice was full of uncertainty.

Edward gave his little brother's arm a gentle pat. "Stop being such a worry wart Al." He turned to the still distracted women. "Thanks again for the repairs, but we can't stay any longer. I still have to go to Central and give my report to that Bastard Colonel Mustang."

Winry let out a sad sigh. "Alright, but I am going to charge you extra for the damaged arm." She said sternly.

Edward grinned evilly at that. "I will wire you the money to you when we reach Central. I broke it while I was on a mission, so the military will have to pay the bill, so go ahead and charge as much as you want." With that, he marched upstairs to pack.

Winry rolled her eyes and laughed at Edward's typical attitude and her eyes glazed over as she thought of how much she could get away with charging the military.

After ten minutes passed by, Edward came down the stairs, fully dressed and suitcase in hand.

"Come on guys, I'll walk you to the station." Winry stated then called for Den.

"You boys had better come back to visit soon ya hear?" Pinako commanded more than asked in a stern voice that didn't fool anyone.

"Of course we will, Granny!" Alphonse called as he and Edward waved at her when they walked down the driveway.

The three didn't have to wait long for the train to arrive. As they waited for the train to fully stop and open its doors, they reluctantly said their goodbyes.

"Thanks for waiting for us Winry." Alphonse said before giving her a careful hug.

Winry gave him a watery smile and gave him a fierce hug in return with much less care. She then turned her attention to Edward as Alphonse climbed the steps leading into the train.

"You had better take good care of my automail, Edward Elric!" She glared harshly at him and shook his shoulders none too gently. "The next time I see you guys, I don't want to have to fix anymore broken limbs, and I don't want to have together scrap automail parts to help fix Alphonse's armor anymore." At the end of her lecture, some tears had managed to make their way down her cheeks, with more threatening to follow.

"Come on Winry, please don't cry. Look, I can't guarantee anything, but I promise that I will try to be more careful. But you have to remember that I am in the military, and I don't get to choose which missions I get sent on. There is always a chance that any one of those missions could turn very dangerous very quickly."

Just then, the warning whistle sounded and Edward gave the girl one more quick hug before hurrying onto the train. When he found a seat with Alphonse, he stuck his head out the window and waved.

"See you later Winry!" He shouted as the train began to move away.

Winry waved back until the train was too far out of sight. She sighed heavily, then she and Den turned around and made their way back home.

Edward watched Winry become smaller and smaller as the train picked up speed. It was by chance that he glanced in the general direction of where their home used to be as he started to turn away from the window. What he saw sent a cold shiver down his spine. He had only caught a brief flash of a tall man with gold hair before he was lost amongst the trees and buildings. (**A/N - **I figured that since their house used to be on top of a hill, and the train seats are so far off the ground, you could catch a brief glance of the remains of the Elric house if you knew what you were looking for.)

Alphonse noticed Edward stiffen slightly in the seat across from him. "Are you okay, Brother? Are you in any pain?" He followed Edward's intense line of vision, trying to find out what was upsetting his brother so much. After not finding anything out of the ordinary, he turned back to the other boy. "Brother?"

"I could have sworn that I saw…" Edward's voice trailed away as his brow furrowed. "Naw. We have been under a lot of stress lately, so I could have just imagined…Besides, after all this time…there is just no way that he'd…" He continued to mutter to himself for a while until he convinced himself that he was just imagining things.

Alphonse looked worriedly at Edward every few minutes, wondering if Winry's wrenches were finally doing some serious damage to his brain. After an hour or so, Alphonse was relieved to see that Edward had fallen asleep.

* * *

**A/N - **I am sorry about not posting Chapter Seven today. I am still slowly working on it. My family has had one crisis after another in the past few months. For example, I just found out that my favorite uncle is in the last stages of Mesothelioma. For those of you who don't know, it is one of the most malignant cancers out there, and it is almost always fatal because there is no cure. He was diagnosed less than a week ago, and the doctors have estimated that he has at most a few weeks left. At worst, he could pass away today. Now we are trying to get everybody together for him to say his goodbyes.

I _will_ post Chapter Seven, but I need some more time. Thank you for being patient, and please do not give up on my story.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer - **Still don't own anything.

**A/N - **Here is a teaser for Chapter Seven.

* * *

The train reached Central around noon three days later, and Edward was about to die of boredom. He had decided the day before that he was not going to make the Colonel wait to get his report to him, but he was going to just get it done and over with so that he and Alphonse could relax for a few days before they got sent on another mission. The two of them stopped by their dorm only long enough to drop off the suitcase, and fish Edward's report out of the bottom of it.

When the boys entered HQ less than an hour later, everyone in the office gave the brothers a warm welcome. Edward did a little procrastination as he decided to something that he rarely did. He wanted to socialize with the people in the outer office to put him in a better mood. He put it off for as long as he could, but he couldn't ignore the Colonel's door forever. So with a heavy sigh, Edward went to turn in his report.

* * *

**A/N - **Don't worry, when I post the full chapter, it will be a _lot _more detailed. I just wanted to prove to you that I am working on the next chapter, and I will post it in a week, maybe two.


End file.
